Martin Dupont – Hot Paradox LP [MW081]

Minimal Wave presents the first vinyl reissue of French legends Martin Dupont’s seminal album from 1987, ‘Hot Paradox’. Martin Dupont was originally founded by Alain Seghir in Marseille in 1980. He enlisted numerous collaborators throughout the years, including Beverley Jane Crew, Brigitte Balian, and Catherine Loy. Martin Dupont was immensely talented with a rare dynamic between its varying members that was likely inspired by a combination of their magnetic personalities, creative vision, and the home studio where they recorded. Their music was colorful, enthusiastic, delicate, melancholy, and mysterious. A mixture of hot and cold, light and dark. They created electronic music that incorporated guitars, clarinets, and saxophones and is described by many as New Wave yet truly transcended genres. The ‘Hot Paradox’ album hasn’t been available on vinyl since 1987. It is one of Martin Dupont’s most exquisite albums, illustrating the band’s mastery of synthesizer work, drum programming, and vocal duets. The album is vibrant and emotive, simultaneously somber and bright, theatrical and danceable. It is an essential album in the French cold wave, new wave, and minimal synth scenes, and in recent years, has finally received the recognition it deserves beyond any musical categorization.

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Martin Dupont – Hot Paradox LP [MW081]

Cosmetics – Baby LP [CITI030]

Cititrax present a new album by Cosmetics, a Vancouver-based synth wave duo formed by Nic Emm and Aja Emma in 2008. Cosmetics reappeared in 2022 after having been relatively quiet since its very memorable releases on Captured Tracks in 2010. In 2023, the band returns with a phenomenal full-length LP entitled ‘Baby’. Their music is sultry, minimalist, and atmospheric, backed by lush analog synths and sparse drum machines. Aja’s seductive vocals cut through the perfectly crafted dark synthpop forming a filmlike narrative that draws us in. The ‘Baby’ LP will have you listening on repeat and the single featuring alternate versions of two songs from the album will bring you from your bedroom listening to the dance floor. Cosmetics continue the lineage of Minimal Wave into the present day.

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Cosmetics – Baby LP [CITI030]

Plague Pits – Creatures [TNP04]

Plague Pits is a collective from Bern, Switzerland. Inspired by the DIY electronic tape underground of yore, they play disco dirges for the Anthropocene – cold wave for a heating planet. After a string of DIY releases on their bandcamp page, on Transnecropolitan and Young And Cold Records, the band released their first full length album “Creatures“ on DIY label Transnecropolitan, from Bern. “Creatures” was conceived and recorded over a span of six months in early 2022 and contains eight songs that are just as inspired by the clattering electro-industrial rhythms of the mid-eighties as by early electronic post-punk and its krautrock forbears. The record lyrically centers around all manners of exploitation – of human beings, other living creatures, and our planets resources. 

Plague Pits – Creatures [TNP04]

Max & Intro – We Design The Future [MEC083]

Max & Intro was a short-lived duo formed by Vincent Max and Intro Johnnie in Belgrade. In 1984 they composed “Ostavi Sve” (in English: “Leave Everything”), probably the greatest ex-Yugoslavian minimal synth song of all times with heavy rotation on radio and even TV appearances. It was a tribute to Fairlight synthesizers, in that time non affordable for these young musicians and became an obsession, especially for Max. In 1985 was published their first and only release “We Design The Future” including “Ostavi Sve” and the B-side “Beogradska Devojka”, another synth gem.

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Max & Intro – We Design The Future [MEC083]

Blotter Trax – Superconductor LP [OMLP27]

Blotter Trax was a collaboration between two storied artists, techno titan Magda and serial underground aggravator (and man of many aliases) Jay Ahern. Now they are back in updated and expanded form, a trio thanks to the addition of bassist Hannes Strobl. The band will release their far-sighted, funk-fuelled debut album, “Superconductor”. A pulsating, thrill-in-minute ride includes contributions from a swathe of notable guests (Nina Hynes, Ilhem Khodja and David Moss provided vocals, Shigeru Tanabu played guitar, Matthew Styles mixed the set and John Tejada mastered it). While rooted in electro and acid, the album is impressively low-slung, stylish and funky, with nods towards Blotter Trax’s mutual love of Arthur Russell, early ‘80s NYC downtown disco, leftfield new-wave pop and flash-fried punk-funk.

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Blotter Trax – Superconductor LP [OMLP27]

Lost Highway & Erica Li Lundqvist – The Hotel Room [OR116]

Mathis Kolkoz (Blind Delon’s alma mater) joins forces with Pablo Bozzi and with Abu Nein’s voice Erica Li Lundqvist to release one of the most amazing synth-pop works listened in recent time. In between low beat electro, soft ebm and even modern new beat, Lost Highway sounds harsh but romantic with great rhythm patterns that make it impossible to stop dancing.

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Lost Highway & Erica Li Lundqvist – The Hotel Room [OR116]

Bionda e Lupo – La Deutsche Vita LP [BELLADEVI]

A warm rain in August, the cool feeling of soft ice cream on the lips, golden light and tender smiles. The sweet scent of strawberries, people laughing in the backyard and autumn is already in the air. This is how the music of Bionda e Lupo feels. Joy and melancholy, warmth and goosebumps – that is “La Deutsche Vita”. Six summers – ten songs for the double album by the Berlin couple. Lively German lyrics allowing us to immerse ourselves in the world of Gertalo, as we surf on synths in the New German Wave and refresh ourselves with a splash of cheeky Schlager pop.

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Bionda e Lupo – La Deutsche Vita LP [BELLADEVI]

Sololust – Too Much Days on a Row [SOIL022]

As a part of Soil Records’ 5th anniversary we have a special 7 inch edition of Sololust “Too much Days on a Row”, originally released in 2020, with an additional rework of this emotive song by the master Rude 66.

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Sololust – Too Much Days on a Row [SOIL022]

Dissemblance – Centauresse LP [LIES195]

After her debut on Mannequin in 2019, Dissemblance now arrives on L.I.E.S. with her second full length of somber, cold wave and emotional bedroom pop infused songs. This time around we hear the Parisian artist add a new arsenal of instrumentation to her repertoire, incorporating live drumming and a wide array of synthetic instrumentation on top of her drum computers providing a backdrop to showcase her stark vocal performances throughout the album. Meticulously constructed, this record displays the full range of Dissemblance’s musical dynamics as she pulls the listener into her universe where dreams and reality tread a thin line, one blurring into the next with no beginning nor end. She expertly brings together a diverse group of styles and sounds from different areas of the electronic spectrum making them her own. An extremely unique and strong display of modern minimal synth pop that pulls equally from the past whilst propelling towards the future.

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Dissemblance – Centauresse LP [LIES195]

Deep Spectrum – Paraiso Fiscal [030EP026]

Mysterious Argentinian Deep Spectrum delivers an EP with synthpop and italo influenced music for the pool/porn movie set/dance floor/living room. Yes that’s right, this is universal music, suitable for all kinds of situations. Forever Free could be an instrumental b-side of a Soft Cell or Vicious Pink record while Para? so Fiscal (fiscal paradise) holds the middle ground between an 80s soundtrack and an underground italo jam. Punch Line on the flip is a smooth dance track where this talented new artist takes it to an even more sensual level. Fans of sleazy electronic futurism and early Legowelt should not sleep on this release!

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Deep Spectrum – Paraiso Fiscal [030EP026]

Sad Madona – Dramatic Dance [OR111]

The very young Paris based Rémi Lauvergne signed some of the best post-punk and dreamy synthwave tracks digitally released in 2022. Oráculo Records put them all together and asked his usual partner in crime Skelesys to remix “Idole”, one of the very best tracks included on this mini- album. You could expect all genre classical approaches as repetitive drums, cold melodies and mesmerizing cavernous vocals.

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Sad Madona – Dramatic Dance [OR111]

Years of Denial – Suicide Disco Vol. 2 [VEYL036]

Years Of Denial is back on Veyl with their second LP ‘Suicide Disco Vol. 2’. The follow up to 2019’s ‘Suicide Disco’, the duo makes a triumphant return, elevating their distinct sound which fuses dark wave, goth, new-beat, post-punk, EBM, and techno. The LP features 12 tracks all written and produced at Ark of Noise studio, located miles away from the polluted noise of social turbulences, immersed in isolation, creative indulgence, and poetic writing.

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Years of Denial – Suicide Disco Vol. 2 [VEYL036]

Ambassade – The Fool [OMLP25]

Optimo Music presents Ambassade’s new album ‘The Fool’. Following hot in the heels of the acclaimed ‘Young Birds / Palette’ 12″ on Optimo Music, ‘The Fool’ is destined to be another Cold Wave, Synth, New Industrial, Experimental …whatever you want to call it …classic. “Born from several years of research and contemplation on the human mind ‘The Fool’ can be understood as a reflection to the dark energies – natural, political, human and otherwise – that are released when it comes to religion, greed and power.”

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Ambassade – The Fool [OMLP25]

Years of Denial – Dancing with Demons [VEYL036S1]

Introductory single for Years of Denial’s ‘Suicide Disco Vol. 2’, featuring ‘Dancing with Demons’ taken off the new album and with ‘BB Kills’ a new and exclusive B-side.

Years of Denial – Dancing with Demons [VEYL036S1]

Das A&O – Les Hommes Boivent [RAT21]

Humans have to drink! They went down to the pond to quench their thirst. Sipping from the cool wet while being on all fours, they saw the reflection of their own faces for the first time. This must have been the beginning of the ongoing struggle of mankind dealing with self-consciousness. Anna and Ole (Das A&O) also met at the water point and much like the myth of the first human couple “Adam and Eve” they ate too much poisoned apples but instead of getting obsessed with one’s ego, they wrote some beautiful Synth Wave music together. Immortalized on a seven-inch piece of wax, the results are now available on Rat Life Records.

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Das A&O – Les Hommes Boivent [RAT21]

Martin Dupont – Kintsugi LP [SEA013LP]

In collaboration with Meidosem and Infrastition, Minimal Wave presents Kintsugi, a new album by the highly lauded French group Martin Dupont. The album features lush re-works of their old songs, originally released on their highly sought-after 1980s albums. The French band is known for making beautiful, heady electronic, with striking, poetic vocals. A hard-to-classify group from Marseille with a cult following and some mainstream success, Martin Dupont has inspired some of the luminaries of the contemporary music scene crossing many genres from trip-hop to electro to techno. Kintsugi reassembles their old spirit that is colorful, enthusiastic, and delicate, yet also melancholy and mysterious. A mixture of hot and cold, light and dark. Martin Dupont’s music is considered electronic though they also incorporate guitars and clarinets. They are described by many as New Wave, though their music truly transcends genres.

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Martin Dupont – Kintsugi LP [SEA013LP]